Circuit-changer.



E.l UNVIERRICHT.

CIRCUIT CHANGER.` APPLICATION FILED MAY 2s, 1911.

1,074,911. l Patented 001i 7,1913,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1A UNITED srnrns .PATENT onirica.

Emmen UNVEBRIGHT, 0r HAMBURG, GERMANY, Assiettes To un, PAUL-1mcnarnacacusn, or HAMBURG, GERMANY.

ciRcUrT-cnANefnn. 'i

Specification of Letters Patent. Application aianay'za, 1911. serial No. 629,002,

To all whom/ct may concern; Y i.;

Be it known that I, EDUARoUnvnnRrcHT, a citizen of thev Hanse town of Hamburg, Germany, arid'residing at Hamburg, Germany, have invented a new vand useful'Cir cuitChanger, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a circuit changer of novel construction, `which is more particularly adapted to be used in conjunction withsafety devices for railroads, suchj as for instance described in a copending patent application filed by me October 30th,

1909, under Serial 'No 525,413.A As Withdevices of this class, al1 circuits changers are conduetivelyconnected with each other and as the position" of any one circuit changer ydepends upon that of the adjoin- .ing circuit changer and' vice versa, it is obvious that in case of an interruption ofone of said' connections, unintended movements 4' of the circuit vchangers and of the safety devices controlled thereby may take place which are apt to entail serious accidents.

The present invention overcomes `all the. above defects by providing-means that p-revent any undesired 'movements of the circuit changers after theyv have been set tov a cert-ain position,` as more fully brou ht out in the appended specication and claim. In the' accompanying drawing: Figure .1A is a diagrammaticv-iew of a pair of coacting circuit changers embodying my inven# tion, and Figs. 2, 8 and 4 are similar views illustrating consecutive positions of the circuit changers. i

The circuit changer' A comprises essentially three vessels or tubes a, b, c which are jointly supportedby a frame d. The latter forms part of a tiltable armature f inluenced by a pair of electromagnets g and h.- Into the ends of tubes rnb, c arerespectively sealed pairs of electric contacts whichy are adapted to, be closed by the mercury l contained therein, the contacts temporarily closed depending upon the dip which said tubes assume. 4Tubes a and 0 are of less area in cross'sectibn than tube b, so that the .mercury contained in tubes a andc will require a considerably longer timerto flow` from one end'of each tube to the other end thereof than is' required by the mercury contained within tube l), after 'the'.dip' of i such tubes has been changed.

Into the right hand endsvof tubesuj," b

are respectively sealed the contacts n and l,.-

While into the left hand ends of tubes a, c are sealed the contacts c-and m. The contacts sealed into the right hand end of tube c' and into the left hand end of tube b are connected to other devices not shown in the drawings-such devices including the train protecting means proper.

In like manner, circuit Achanger A comprises three tubes, a', by', c carried by vthe `trame d of a tiltable armature f', the diameter of tubes a', c being`considerably less than 4that of tube b. Armature f is adapted to be'alternately attracted by the electromagnets g, h', the circuit changer A being in all respects a Aduplicate of cir- `cuit changerA. 'It is of course'to be understood that the circuit changers A, A are located a considerable distance apart according to the lengths of the safety zones of `the track which they'are to protect. Into the right hand ends of tubes a', b respectively arevsealed contacts nl', l', While into the left hand ends of tubes a', c are sealed the contacts 7c", m', the contacts shown at the left hand side of tube b and at the right hand side of tube c being con.- nected to'other devices not shown.

The electric current for operating the circuit changers is supplied through' a pair of feed wires .-i-l and -1 extending along the track and being connected to .a suitable source of electricity (not shown), while the circuit changers are actuated by suitable .circuit closers y' adapted to be actuated by a closers being shown inlthe drawings.

Main +1 is by wire vQ connected to circuit closer j which is inturnby Wire 3 conl. nected to contacts 7c, the latter being by Wire 4.- conuected' to electromagnet g, which is main .-l-l leads another wire 5 to contacts Z, which are in turn by Wire 6 connected to contacts m, all of circuit changer A. From contacts m, a wire 7 leads to the contacts fn.

8', velectromagnet h and wire 9 connected to'lnain 1.

the contacts Z of circuit changer A, which are by Wire', contacts m, wire 7 contacts n of circuit .changer A, Wire 8 and electromagnet it to Wire 9. -From Wire 3 leads a wire 3 to contacts is. which .are in'turn by From main +1, thereleads a wire 5"to Patented oet. 7,1913..

passing train or car, one of said circuit by Wire 9 connected to the main -1. From loo ofA circuit chanrer Al which are b Wire Wirefl andelectromagnet g connected to.

Upon the closing of circuit closer j, a circuit will be established, the'current flowing from main ,+1 through wire 2 (Fig. 1), in

strumentj, wire 3', closed contacts 7:1, wire 4', electromagnet g', and wire 9 to main -1. Electromagnet g will thus become en ergized -to attract armature of circuit changer A', thereby reversing the, position of said armature from that shown in Fig. 1

vtotliat illustra-ted in Figf. Owingto this rocking Vmovement of armature f', the` liquid contained in tube Z2 will immediately iow to the other end of saidV tube to close con` tacts Z, while the liquid contained in tubes a, c will consume considerably longer time for performing the same function, so that the contacts m and 7c remain closed for a certain period after the tubeshave assumed 'the oppositely inclined positiontFig. 2).. In this way, a circuit is closed,'.the current lflowing :trom mainA -t-l through wire 5, closed contacts Z wire'G, still closed contacts wire 7', contacts n, wire. S, electromagnet h, and wire 9 to main '-1. Electromagnet 71. of circuit changer A will tlius be-j come energized to tiltarmature finto the lposition illustrated 'in Fig'. 3.v In the meantime' the liquid in tubes a', c ofcircuit changer A has filled the lower lright ends of said tubes, thereby opening th contacts 7c', fm respectively'. Shortly after the rocking ofarmature j of circuit changer A has been completed, the liquid contained in tubes@ and c will also haveown into the. "lower left ends of said tubes, the

arts thus assuming the position illustrated in Fig. et.

It is vobvious .that the eect above de- 4:scribed could also be obtained if the conducting wires 7', 7 were directly connected to contacts Z, Z without passing through contacts m', m respectively. In this case however, it would not be possible to prevent the armature 7 of'circuit lchanger A after having been :tilted- -rom being immediately returned to. its previous position in case of an interruptionof the current which serves forro'clring the armature-7c of circuit changer 'Aa Thuslf wire -7 were broken, electromagnet hicould not become energized, and

armature 'f would remain in the position "illustratedI in Fig. 1,".instead ofbeing tilted into the positionshown in Fig.` 3 afterarmature f has been tilted into the position illustrated lin. Figs. 2 and 3. Owing to the failure of' armature f to leave the position 1 shown'in Fig.` 1, a circuitwouldbe established, the`- current flowing from main +1,

throughwire 5,' still closed contacts Z, wire Z 97l to main 1.l `Electromagnet-7i. will thus 5 (which is now supposed to bedi-rectly con- .ne'cted to contacts Z instead of beingconnected toy contacts m), meanwhile'closed contacts n', wire 8', electromagnet', and wire the tilting movement of the corresponding ,Z,. wire 6,.still closed contacts m,

be energized to immediately return arma-v into its original position, thereby inviting accidents'. By interpolating ythe contactsc, c respectively, the `varmatures are lsecured against an immediate return to their previous position, as the circuits which cause the tilting of the armatures, are automatif cally A tilting has taken place. This is due tothe fact that the contacts provided in the-tubes of small diameter are broken shortlyafter armatures has been completed. After the parts have assumed. he positionillustrated in Fig. 4, and have thus performed the work desired by closing cer-tain circuits that actuate the train protecting devices,'the armature f is first returned to its original posit-ion by a' current-that flows closed contacts n', wire 8, electromagnet hf,-

fand wire 9 to main -1.4 Electromagnet z.

will thus become energized .to tilt armature f into the positionv shown in Fig. 1, thereby. setting the device vready for the next operation. I claim: g

In a device 'ofthe' character described, fa pairjof like circuit changer'sarranged at ai distance from each other, each of said circuit Ychangers comprising anl electromagnetic device and a plurality of circuit' closing means operable thereby, electric connections between said 'electromagnetic 'de-l vices and circuit closing means, and means for sending.electricv energy through, either of said electromagnetic dev1'ces interrupted' immediately after such I wire '3, contacts 7c, wire 4, electromagnet g,

wire 7,

whereby the' circuit 'closing means per- -tainingv to the "energized electromagnetic device are operated to c'losegthe circuit of the other electromagnetic device, said'circuit including 'a selected vnumber of circuit closing means of both of said circuit changers,`

' one of which circuit closing means isclosed fora limited period only, after' the energiz-v ing of the irst mentioned electromagnetic device.. I f

In testimony whereof, IA liave'signed my name 'tof this specificationin vthe presence of. two subscribing witnesses.

`EDUARD Uuv Eimroiirv L 1 I Witnesses:

ERNEST'H. L; MUMMENHOFF,

CAMILLO Risen.v 

